Columns

This image from CCTV video released by Saudi Arabia's Media Ministry shows passengers taking cover as flames and smoke fill part of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, during what authorities described as a strike at the airport on Oct. 10, 2026. (Saudi Media Ministry via AP)

Daniel DePetris: Resumption of war between Houthis and Saudis is bad timing for Donald Trump

By Daniel DePetris

October 12, 2026 at 1:27 p.m.

The attacks in Saudi Arabia come when Donald Trump is in a standoff over the...

Attorneys for Christa Pike hold a news conference after a judge ruled the Tennessee Department of Corrections must preserve all evidence related to the failed execution of Pike, on Oct. 7, 2026, in Nashville, Tennessee. (George Walker IV/AP)

Clarence Page: A botched execution shakes our death penalty presumptions

By Clarence Page

October 12, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The botched execution of Christa Pike offers a gross illustration of the cruelty that capital...

Chicago school board president candidates Jessica Biggs, Hilario Dominguez and Victor Henderson participate in a forum at the Copernicus Center on Sept. 29, 2026. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

David Greising: The race for Chicago school board president is about ideas — and character

By David Greising

October 10, 2026 at 10:01 a.m.

It will take savvy strategic thinking, backed by the character needed for leadership, to make...

The Light of Truth Ida B. Wells National Monument, an abstract sculpture in honor of activist and journalist Ida B. Wells created by sculptor Richard Hunt, is seen at sunset in Bronzeville on June 30, 2021. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

Laura Washington: Film honors the truths illuminated by Chicagoans Ida B. Wells and Richard Hunt

By Laura Washington

February 26, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Richard Hunt and Ida B. Wells' stories of artistry, activism and achievement are brilliantly told...

Tubes of frozen donated embryos in a storage container at the National Embryo Donation Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, on June 17, 2015. Cryoport, a major embryo shipping company, said on Feb. 23, 2024, that it was “pausing” its business in Alabama as it evaluated the state’s Supreme Court decision that declared frozen embryos created through in vitro fertilization to be children. (Shawn Poynter/The New York Times)

Clarence Page: Frozen embryos are people? In the world of politics, at least.

By Clarence Page

February 25, 2024 at 5:05 a.m.

The Alabama Supreme Court's ruling that frozen embryos are people worthy of protection throws the...

Yulia Navalnaya, widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, attends the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 16, 2024, the day it was announced that Navalny died in prison. (Kai Pfaffenbach/AP)

Elizabeth Shackelford: Dysfunction in US makes it clear that Europe is at risk for outsourcing its security

By Elizabeth Shackelford

February 23, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Most European countries have taken steps recently to address defense shortcomings, but they’ve nearly wasted...

Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis takes the stand as a witness during a hearing on the Georgia election interference case Feb. 15, 2024, in Atlanta. (Alyssa Pointer/Reuters)

Clarence Page: Fani Willis and the court of public opinion

By Clarence Page

February 21, 2024 at 5:01 a.m.

Fani Willis may have done nothing legally wrong in her relationship with her lead prosecutor...

An armored vehicle distributes food and medicine to residents in Ocheretyne, Ukraine, and refugees from nearby Avdiivka, Feb. 13, 2024. (Tyler Hicks/The New York Times)

Daniel DePetris: Ukrainians on the back foot as the war enters its third year

By Daniel DePetris

February 20, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

After being humiliated during the first year of the war, the Russians chipped away at...

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson talks after reading to students from Genevieve Melody STEM Elementary School at the Chicago Public Library's Legler Regional Branch on Feb. 7, 2024. (Terrence Antonio James/baiduhai)

Laura Washington: Is Mayor Brandon Johnson already campaigning for a second term?

By Laura Washington

February 19, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Eight months into his first term, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s supporters have run a campaign-like ad...

A supporter holds his hand over his heart during the singing of the national anthem as former President Donald Trump arrives on stage for a “Commit to Caucus Event” at the Clinton Middle School in Clinton Iowa, on Jan. 6, 2024. (Doug Mills/The New York Times)

Clarence Page: On Trump’s befuddling hold on the GOP and the fizzling of the ‘Never Trump’ movement

By Clarence Page

February 18, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

A conservative pundit's confession that it took him ages to work out Donald Trump's hold...

Cook County Board of Review Commissioner Larry Rogers Jr. attends a pre-slating event for the Democratic Party on June 16, 2023, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/baiduhai)

David Greising: Local officials keep proving why distrust in government is high in the Midwest

By David Greising

February 16, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Midwesterners have plenty of reason to distrust government here.

People walk through a main shopping area in Manhattan on Jan. 5, 2024 in New York City. As the American economy continues to outperform expectations, the December jobs report showed that employers added 216,000 positions for the month as the unemployment rate held at 3.7% (Spencer Platt/Getty)

Clarence Page: Economic gloominess in spite of upbeat data also affects immigration debate

By Clarence Page

February 14, 2024 at 5:05 a.m.

Economic analysts at the Fed and in the CBO tell us the recent migrant surge...

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley speaks at a campaign rally at the New Realm Brewing Co. on Feb. 4, 2024, in Charleston, South Carolina. (Brandon Bell/Getty)

Clarence Page: How to fight Donald Trump as a Republican and survive

By Clarence Page

February 11, 2024 at 5:01 a.m.

Nikki Haley keeps losing primaries to Donald Trump. But she keeps bringing in campaign cash...

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